Welcome to the 2024 Urban Pitch Year in Review, where we take a look at some of our favorite moments from the past 12 months. Up first — kits.
It’s that time again — time to sit down, look back and reflect on the ups and downs of the year. Most normal folks will think about what they did well, what they could improve on, and what they’d like to accomplish next year. But for a select few of us football sickos, the first thing that we look back on is our favorite kits from the year.
Narrowing down every release into a top 10 list is a difficult task in any year, but 2024 had a slew of international tournaments thrown in to the mix as well, giving us an even larger pot of club and national team shirts to pick from. But while it was certainly a challenge, I’m adamant about this being the definitive list. The correct one. We know our stuff, after all. Spoiler: Venezia don’t feature. Big, big news.
Red Star Paris Home
A kit list that features Red Star FC? Water’s wet, after all. Over the last few years, Red Star have cemented themselves as one of the coolest clubs in world football, and this year’s home kit only builds on that. A traditional collar, five green stripes that pay homage to history in the area, and a pattern composed of their famous star and the club’s name — the kit is smart, tidy, and outrageously good-looking.
Athens Kallithea Away
A new(er) kid on the block regarding football shirts, Athens Kallithea have undergone a similar treatment that Venezia did a while back. It helped when some of the team behind Venezia’s rebrand ventured out to Greece’s capital, not to mention Kappa are at the heart of it all again. The crisp white and the deep navy accents on Kallithea’s away kit is a combination fit for the club of a city where civilization was born.
AC Milan 125th Anniversary
How could I not include this shirt? This is a meticulously designed kit with every detail paying homage to AC Milan’s rich history. The shirt is beautifully simple and is an instant hit, especially when the likes of legend Franco Baresi are pictured wearing it in the release.
Hull City Lifestyle
Wait. A Hull City shirt in the top kits of the year? Surely not. Well, when the club partnered with Kappa, what else did you expect? Maybe I’m not allowed to include a lifestyle shirt but so what, I am doing it anyways. It’s a beautiful all-white design combined with gold accents that give it a classy, somewhat regal vibe. The Kappa band down the sleeves on the long sleeve edition tops it off nicely.
Argentina 50th Anniversary
Celebrating 50 years since they first partnered, adidas and Argentina released this special edition kit and boy, is it special. It’s a retro style kit drawing inspiration from the 1974 shirt with wide blue and white stripes mixed with gold accents and the iconic Trefoil logo. A beauty, for sure.
Triestina Away
Triestina may be struggling in 2024 on the pitch, but at least they’re looking good while doing it. All three of their shirts would be welcome additions on this list, but the white away just pips it. A clean design mixed with Triestina’s traditional red and a lovely-looking collar, combined with the Kappa bands down the sleeves and you have a superb shirt.
Newcastle Away
Our first (and only) Premier League club on the list comes from the North Bank of the River Tyne. Newcastle’s 2024-25 away and third kit are both fantastic, but for me, the away takes the title as their best kit of the year. Inspired by their iconic 1995-96 Brown Ale shirt worn by the likes of David Ginola, this kit brings a modern twist on a classic and looks fantastic while doing so. It also looks much better when worn on the pitch, too, which makes it even better being a Newcastle fan.
France Away
The 2024 European Championships brought many kits that will certainly feature on plenty of year-end lists, perhaps none more often than France’s away shirt. It’s a beautiful design with pinstripes moving from blue to red across the shirt in homage to the flag. Mixed with a blue crewneck collar and cuffs, Les Blues looked great wearing it, even if they did lose to the eventual winners in the semifinals.
Portugal Away
I’m a sucker for a kit like this, to be honest. It’s probably one of the last Nike kits for Portugal as they are set to move to PUMA in 2025, and what a way to go out. It pays tribute to Portugal’s architectural artistry heritage featuring a blue Azulejo tile pattern. A work of art.
Versailles Home
Another Kappa shirt with a collar?! You betcha. This time we’re looking at FC Versailles, because it is yet another exceptional shirt. It screams class and you’d not look out of place dining out at a fancy restaurant while wearing it. Kappa continue to kill it year after year and this kit shows the stylish levels they’re bringing to the table.
